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Thursday, May 18, 2006

Much Ado About Da Vinci

A few of my friends have asked: "Are you going to see THE movie?" (THE movie...like I'm supposed to know which one.) Turns out they mean The Da Vinci Code. And, the reason they ask is because I'm Catholic, and they're curious to know on which side of the fence I'm on regarding "The Da Vinci Issue".

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at all the hub-bub. There's talk of boycotts and protests. Apparently, even the Vatican has expressed its disdain.

I read the book and loved it. I think Ron Howard is a talented director. While Tom Hanks isn't who I had in my mind's eye as Robert Langdon, he's a fine actor who can be counted on to turn in a solid performance. I do plan on seeing THE movie. I'll have a big bucket of popcorn and an icy cold soft drink, and I'll surely love it.

Reflecting on all of this talk about THE movie, I pulled the novel that started it all from my bookshelf and turned to an opening page that, for me, says it all:

FACT:The Priory of Sion -- a European secret society founded in 1099 -- is a real organization. In 1975 Paris's Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion and a dangerous practice known as "corporal mortification." Opus Dei has just completed construction of a $47 million National Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City.

All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.

7 Comments:

There's a bit more to the story of the Vatican's reaction than most are yet aware of. Read my missive below to understand what they truly fear. It's not the DaVinci Code or Gospel of Judas per se, but the fact that people have been motivated to seek out the unequivocal truth about an age of deception, exactly when they expect me to appear. The Gospel of Judas and DaVinci Code controversies are allowing people to take new stock of the Vatican and the religions it has spawned.

Remember, "I come as a thief..." ?

Yes, the DaVinci Code is a novel. It is no more accurate as a literal version of history than is the New Testament. In other words, neither is the literal truth, which is a key fact of the story and ancient history. The primary sub-plot is about purposeful symbology being used to encode hidden meanings, exactly like the Bible and related texts. Arguing about whether the DaVinci Code, Gospel of Judas, or the Bible are accurate history is a Machiavellian red herring designed to hide the truth by misdirecting your inquiry away from the heart of the matter.

Want to truly understand why we can't let the Vatican succeed at telling us what to think about ancient history? There is a foolproof way to verify the truth and expose centuries-old religious deceptions. It is also the common thread connecting why the ancient Hebrews, Yahad/Essene, Jews, Gnostics, Cathars, Templars, Dead Sea Scrolls, DaVinci Code, and others have all been targets of Rome’s ire and evil machinations. What the Vatican and its secret society cohorts don’t want you to understand is that the ancient Hebrew symbology in all of these texts purposely encodes and exposes the truth about them. Furthermore, the structure of ancient symbology verifiably encodes the rules to decode messages built with it. This is what they most fear you will discover.

If the Bible represented the literal truth or even accurate history, there would be no need for faith in the assertions of deceptive and duplicitous clergy and their ilk. Wisdom and faith are opposing concepts, because wisdom requires the unequivocal truth where faith obfuscates and opposes it. Religion is therefore the enemy of truth and wisdom.

It is undeniable the New Testament is framed by ancient Hebrew symbolism and allegory. The same is evidenced in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic texts, biblical apocrypha, DaVinci Code, and other related texts. All ancient religious, mystical, and wisdom texts have been shrouded in mystery for millennia for one primary reason: The ability to understand their widely evidenced symbology was lost in antiquity. How do we finally solve these ages-old mysteries? To recast an often-used political adage: It’s [the] symbology, stupid!

It is amazing the Vatican still tries to insist the Gospels are literal truth. It is beyond obvious they are replete with ancient Hebrew symbology. Every miracle purported for Jesus has multiple direct symbolic parallels in the Old Testament, Apocalypse, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other symbolic narratives and traditions. This is the secret held by the ancient Gnostics, Templars, and Cathars, which is presented with dramatic effect in the DaVinci Code. None of these narratives or stories were ever intended as the literal truth. That is a key fact to unraveling ages-old mysteries.

Likewise, the following Washington Post article ( The Book of Bart) describes how many changes and embellishments were made to New Testament texts over the centuries, unequivocally demonstrating they are not original, infallible, or truthful.

It's no wonder the Vatican fears the truth more than anything else. Seek to understand the symbolic significance of my name (Seven Star Hand) and you will have proof beyond disproof that Jews, Christians, and Muslims have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to keep good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?

There is much ado about it all. It's been interesting, to me, to see how people react to it; from aggressively defending Catholicism to tried & true Catholic-bashing.

There are people on all sides of the issue. I think it's a great time for Catholics to set things straight, but it seems to me that some are taking this too personally. There's a fine line between speaking up and whining.

Actually, CafCath, even the Priory of Scion, as described by Brown, didn't exists, so even that part is fiction.

The problem, and part of the reason so many Catholics and other Christians are upset, is that Brown has gone around saying that while the immediate characters are fictional, all of the "history" is true, and a lot of people took his word without actually doing any research on their own.

Most of the facts on the fact page are incomplete, misleading, or plain wrong. The "priory of sion" is a hoax. Secular scholars and religious ones agree on that. Mr. Brown didn't bother fact-checking his facts page. I find that a sign of low intelligence, or low standards of decency, or both.

:) I haven't read the book, nor have I seen the movie. :) I like to think that the reason Mona Lisa is smiling is that she has experienced the life-transforming power of Jesus Christ :) I think Dan Brown is $miling for an entirely different rea$on! ;)

It doesn't matter if you think the DVC is fact or fiction, or whether Dan Brown is trying to pass it off as truth or not, or whether it will lessen your faith or not. The bottom line is that as a Catholic you are putting yourself in the near occasion of sin by reading or viewing material you know to be blasphemous. Don't put these thoughts in your head, even if you know them to be false.

About Me

I'm a 40-something lifelong Catholic who has accepted my lot as a Cafeteria Catholic. There is so much about the Catholic Church that truly speaks to me. And, yes, I have my points of disagreement. I find comfort in knowing most American Catholics feel the same way. This is one really BIG cafeteria!